Look out world, Baltimore is in the house!
Four Baltimore area teens are among the 12 recently elected members of BBYO’s international board. They will assume their new I-board positions this June.
Formerly known as the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, BBYO is a nonprofit and movement that strives to strengthen the identity of Jewish teens and offer leadership development programming. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization is active throughout the world and has more than 25,000 members and 250,000 alumni.
The new BBYO I-board members from Charm City include Matthew Grossman, a junior at the Gilman School; Danny Freedman, a junior at the Park School of Baltimore; Benjamin Talesnik, a Pikesville High School junior; and Lillian Polakoff, a junior at Pikesville’s Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School.
All four belong to the Northern Region East: Baltimore Council. The teens are the first representatives from their respective chapters to be elected to BBYO’s I-board.
“For decades, one of our most cherished traditions has been the election of BBYO’s next generation of young leaders who have a deep passion for BBYO and help guide our growth to ensure a vibrant Jewish future,” said Debbie Shemony, vice president of marketing at BBYO. “This year, four out of the twelve members of our newly elected Grand and International Boards hail from the same region, BBYO Northern Region East: Baltimore Council, a true testament to Baltimore’s vibrancy and growth over the past year!”
The last Baltimore area representative to serve on the I-board was Danny Freedman’s sister, Rebecca Sereboff, who was the international n’siah, or president, from 2017 to 2018.
“With an engaged Jewish youth comes a safer, stronger Jewish future,” said Grossman, who belongs to the Ashkelon chapter and will serve as BBYO’s grand aleph moreh, or vice president of membership and recruitment. “The biggest threat that faces our worldwide Jewish community is not anti-Semitism but rather the lack of engagement beyond the years of Hebrew school. AZA and BBG are in the best place possible to combat this and we can tackle this issue by taking it head on and embodying our guiding principle: more Jewish teens, more meaningful Jewish experiences. … By working this next year to engage as many Jews as possible, we take the first steps in fostering a vibrant, diverse and successful future.”
Said Freedman, who belongs to the Gideon chapter and will serve as grand aleph shaliach, or vice president of Jewish enrichment: “As the future generation of the Jewish people, it’s imperative that we leave BBYO wishing to continue to uphold our traditions and beliefs — regardless of how we individually practice Judaism. A meaningful Jewish experience, therefore, builds our collective pride. Cultivating an environment that builds pride comes down to trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zones. Much like muscle can only grow after being torn down, Jewish pride grows stronger after we are pushed to consider new experiences or ideas. For those of us who tend to engage with our Judaism through traditional prayer or discussion, an uplifting shira [song] can be an eye-opening experience by focusing on the fun and communal aspects of our faith. Or for those of us who prefer singing and dancing, engaging with our stories and beliefs can also be eye-opening by discovering new interpretations of our identity and values.”
Talesnik belongs to the Ashkelon chapter and will serve as grand aleph gizbor, or treasurer.
“What constitutes a successful fundraiser’? Any fundraiser, no matter the outcome, ranging from those who inspire teens to continue their journey within our order or those which can be incorporated to increase funds, is considered successful,” he said of his vision for his role as treasurer. “The experience is all that matters to not only our members but also our stakeholders, making it ever so important to articulate why they should invest in our movement. If we display the impact their contribution makes, by doing something as simple as sending thank-you messages explaining the impacted teen’s experience, we can spark a chain of ongoing contributions. I’ll be in constant communication with all my counterparts to ensure they are taking the steps to guarantee they can elevate their fundraising to a higher altitude.”
In her role as international aym hachaverot, or vice president of membership and recruitment, Polakoff, who belongs to the Ashkelon chapter, said she aims to tackle the “increasing support and retention in small chapters, because strong chapters build the base of a strong movement. I envision an expanded role of the Chapter Support committee of the ILN Membership Taskforce, who can create close networks of chapter leaders, share resources with them, and pair them with trained 1:1 ‘chapter coaches.’ This committee would not only enhance leadership strategies and organization within chapters, but also report to my co and I what the most pressing issues are so we can coordinate a wider scale solution. I hope to ensure all chapters are running engaging, memorable programs for each of their unique members, including upperclassmen.”
A junior at Roland Park Country School, Katie Grossman writes about a recent experience that spurred her to take action to fight antisemitism.
Spending on "hasbara" should be “like investing in jets, bombs and missile interceptors,” argues Israel’s foreign minister.
Presented by Jews United for Justice and a consortium of local synagogues, "Beyond Welcoming the Stranger" offered a Jewish approach to helping immigrants.
John Singer wants to help Marylanders of all economic backgrounds to afford ankle foot orthoses.